


Grandmother in the Lobby

by cinderella1147



Series: Off The Record [6]
Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 19:56:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13982214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderella1147/pseuds/cinderella1147
Summary: part 6 of "Off the Record". Starts out a month after "Getting in Shape", so still between S2 and S3, then jumps to a few days after "Run" S03E02. What if we get to meet someone from Don’s family...like a grandmother?





	Grandmother in the Lobby

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I'm not even sure where this came from. When I started I had something different in mind, but then the grandma showed up, and this happened.
> 
> 2\. Borrowing the characters from Mr. Sorkin until I can convince him that he should do a spin off with Don and Sloan.
> 
> 3\. Obviously, I know nothing about Don's family (or I don't recall if it's been addressed in the show), so it's complete AU in that sense. Sloan and Don's conversations in "Run" (S03E02) happened as is.

Monday, March 25, 2013  
9:25 AM  
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY  
BARNARD COLLEGE

 

Don opened the door of the lecture hall without any noise, and slipped into an empty seat at the top row. It was a mid-size room, and the students occupied almost all the available seats. At the bottom of the auditorium, Sloan was leaning to the desk reserved for the professors, listening to a girl in the front row. 

It was a spur of the moment decision to come here. He hasn’t seen Sloan since Friday night, when he left to visit his grandmother in Georgia, and didn’t get back to New York until 2am on Monday morning. A few hours later, he was supposed to go straight to work, but when he realized Sloan would be at Columbia on her Monday morning class, he was infinitely more interested in heading uptown. Finding her classroom was relatively easy- Columbia’s homepage, Google, and and a quick call to the Econ department, and here he was, getting a sneak peek to another side of Sloan Sabbith that proved to be just as fascinating as the ones he already knew. 

It was easy to see how much she enjoyed teaching, and the students seem captivated. As he was scanning the room, an open notebook caught his eye. The young guy in the row ahead of him had the browser open at the ‘Rate My Professor’ website, and he just finished posting a review. Curious, Don pulled out his phone, and navigated to Sloan’s name. 

Her score was 4.9. Hardly surprising.

“Her classes are always super early, but that’s the only negative point I can come up with. She’s engaging, have a wealth of knowledge about a million things econ related, and she will gladly get into those subjects if the class discussion takes us there. She talks fast, so get ready to take notes fast. She appreciates discussion and you won’t do well in this class if you are not making an effort to join in on the conversation. She actually knows everyone’s name. First and Last. She knows how you did on your last assignment, and what question you raised last week. Her mind is unreal. And if all that hasn’t convinced you to take her class, I’m here to tell you that she is the hottest woman to walk the halls of Barnard. Like, seriously. It’s actually distracting.”

He grinned, and got so preoccupied with reading other reviews, that he didn't notice at first when the class ended and the students started to leave the lecture hall. Sloan was packing up as well, while a few really enthusiastic students gathered around her table. All boys. They were asking her questions and hanging on her every word, though she seemed completely unaware of the heart-eyes her little groupies were making. Eventually, Don made his way down the stairs, stopped a few feet away from them, and sent her a quick text:

:: Should I be worried about this fangroup of yours? ::

He knew the moment she read the message. She stopped mid-sentence, and her head shot up. Quickly scanning the room, she spotted him casually leaning against a desk in the first row, with a small smirk on his face.

She quickly wrapped up the discussion with the students, grabbed her things, and walked up to him.

“You made it back.” Her eyes were smiling as she said it.  
“Yeah, landed at 2am, got back to my place at 3.”  
“Coffee at Cool Beans before work?”  
He agreed with a small grin, and they headed out of the of auditorium side by side. As they walked past the desk, Don two of her students still standing there, and he suddenly felt like he was back in high school, except in this high school reality, the coolest girl of the school was walking home with *him.*

 

***

 

“How was the visit with your grandmother?” They were walking to the campus cafe in a comfortable pace.  
“It was good. My parents weren’t there, so that always make these visits a 100 times more pleasant.” His relationship with his parents was strained, to say the least.  
“Home come?” Sloan knew they didn’t often discuss family issues, but she figured he’d let her know if the topic was off the table.  
“Well, my father has always been strict and stubborn, and we’re just too different to see eye to eye, I think. He’s never been too impressed by my career choice - or any other choice, for that matter, and my mother mostly just follows his lead. The final nail in the coffin was when I signed with ACN to work with Will. They are not fans. Haven’t spoken a lot since then. We see each other on big family occasions, or run into each other when I visit Grandmother, but that usually turns into a disaster, so I think she started to make sure we’d visit on different days.” He chuckled lightly. “She’s a master at getting people to do what she wants. We’ve always been close, so as long as I get to see her relatively often, I don’t care about the rest.” 

Sloan was quiet for a moment. “Then I’m glad you had a good time.”  
He was thankful that she didn’t start to prod for more details in the middle of a busy cafe.  
“So, ever heard of a website called “Rate My Professor”?

 

One month later  
Wednesday, April 22, 2013  
10:25 AM  
DON’S OFFICE  
((2 days after S03E02, but still before S03E3))

 

Following Boston, and the revelation that AWM was in the middle of a hostile takeover, Don welcomed the banter with Sloan regarding the status of their relationship. When they sat down for breakfast two days ago, he had no idea that by the end of the day, Sloan would end up declaring them as a couple to Will. (Which he probably knew all along, but still, it was nice to hear it out loud.) He knew they were nowhere near ready for anything else- as has been demonstrated by his fake invitation, and her fake declaration of love- but they were heading in that direction, and that gave him a sense of comfort. What they had, it just worked, and Don had no intention of rushing things. He was finally in a relationship where he didn’t feel like he had to prove he was a “good guy,” or count the number of days he’s been a “good boyfriend.” They were on equal footing, and there was an ease to their relationship that he never really had with anyone else. 

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts and *his girlfriend* entered his office.

“What’s up?”  
“I ran into Will, he gave me an odd speech that started with “gather ye rosebuds”...do you know what that was about?”  
“I’m just guessing here, but maybe us?”  
“Well, yeah, but...we’re together. Ye rosebuds have been gathered.”  
He smiled. She was ever so practical.  
“Maybe he just meant, don’t mess this up?”  
“Oh. Sounds fair. Speaking of mess….I may have yelled at Zane for messing with my write-up, and -”

Don’s office phone started ringing at that moment. He looked at her apologetically, then picked it up, it was AWM front desk.  
“Yeah?”  
“Mr. Keefer, there is a lady here to see you, who hasn’t been added to the list of visitors today. Given that she doesn’t have an appointment, I’m going to have to ask you to come down and escort her upstairs, if you have a meeting with her.”  
“I don’t have a meeting with anyone right now. Do you have a name? Or could you put them on the phone?” He was confused.  
“Sure thing, Mr. Keefer, I’m passing the phone now.”  
“Donnie, it’s Grandma! Could you please tell this nice lady to let me enter?”  
Don’s eyes got wide at the sound of his grandmother’s voice. She made no mention of flying to New York the last time they spoke.  
“Grandmother, this is a surprise….I….They won’t let you up without an escort, so I’ll go down and bring you up. I’ll be there in a second.”

He stared at the phone after hanging up, and without looking at Sloan explained the call.  
“That was the front desk. Evidently, my grandmother is downstairs.”  
“Your Grandmother? The one who lives in Georgia? Is in the lobby of this building?”  
“Hmmm-hmmm. I have no idea what she’s doing here. I’m going to have to bring her up. This means you’ll have to meet her at one point.”  
“I’m meeting your grandmother? Today?”  
“Are you freaking out?”  
“Are *you* freaking out?”  
“A little.”  
“Good. Because I’m freaking out a lot.”

 

***

 

Minutes later, he stepped through the electronic gate, into the lobby and heard his grandmother’s excited yell across the floor.  
“Donnie, there you are!”  
He turned toward the voice and saw the slender, white haired lady taking small, purposeful steps in his direction. She was wearing a bright pink Chanel jacket with matching skirt, a huge pearl brooch, and cream colored, low heel slingbacks. Her hair was coiffed to perfection, and she was just taking off her Audrey Hepburn-esq round sunglasses. She was poised and elegant, but there was a certain bohemian vibe to her presence. He gave her a hug, and she smelled like Chanel No.5 and cigarettes. He loved this woman more than he could possibly express. She was spunky, clever, and could not give a fuck about what others thought. Sure, she was a Southern Woman (like that, with capital letters): politeness, manners and class was second nature to her. But she was a rebel at heart, and had no qualms about saying what was on her mind. Which was, of course, just one more reason to admire her, and fear her. 

Presently, Don was leaning toward the latter. 

“Grandmother. Great to see you. What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming to New York?” He guided her through the gate and toward the elevators. 

“Oh, just here for the day, I’m flying back tomorrow morning, dear. I have a meeting later with the ABT [American Ballet Theatre] Board, and thought I would surprise my favorite grandson! Now, isn’t that fun! Let’s have lunch together!”

She linked her arm through his, holding onto him for balance and in affection. 

“Maybe that girl of yours, Sloan, could join as well?” she added innocently and Don closed his eyes for a second and nodded in understanding. 

‘Now we know the real reason she stopped by,’ he thought to himself. During his last visit, he mentioned Sloan in passing (how could he not?), and while she was nonchalant about it at the time, he should have known she wasn’t going to let this go so easily. He already knew there was no way to get out of this meeting, he just hoped Sloan was prepared. 

“Sure, we can ask her. Not sure what her plans are for the day, but we’ll see.” He stepped aside to let her walk into his office.

“Why don’t you take a seat here. Can I bring you a coffee or tea?”  
“Sure, dear, tea would be lovely.” 

He was just bringing her the tea from the kitchen, when his phone rang and Will told him to meet him and Mac in his office immediately. 

“Grandmother, would you be okay here for a little bit? I need to rush to a meeting, but I’ll be right back and we can talk more.”

“Of course, no problem. Go on, hurry. Don’t let your boss wait.” Her smile was warm, but the lack of protest or funny barbs about him ‘abandoning his only grandmother’ concerned him a little. It was always suspicious when she was too agreeable. 

He should have known to listen to his instincts.

 

***

 

Sloan was studying the graphics displayed on her Bloomberg terminal, determined to focus on her work and forget the looming prospect of meeting Don’s grandmother in the near future. After Don left his office, she hurried back to her own and started agonizing over her outfit for the day: ‘was the light grey pencil dress the kind of thing you wear to meet the grandmother?’ Speaking of, she knew nothing about this woman, other than the fact that she lived in Georgia. She was going to kill Don for not preparing her better for this.

“Excuse me, are you Sloan Sabbith?” came the slightly high pitched voice from her doorway. She whipped around in her chair and found herself facing a 5’1”, 82-year-old Chanel Barbie. 

“Yes, that would be me.” Smiling, she stood up to shake hands and let her guest enter the office. 

“Ah, I thought so. My name is Laura Dane Seymour, I’m Don’s grandmother. Thrilled to finally meet you, dear.”  
“I - I’m very happy to meet you as well. Please have a seat. Where is Don? Is he coming?” She looked out to the corridor, but turned back after it was clear no one was coming. She could feel her palms starting to sweat and her heartbeat increase. Alone, with Don’s grandmother. Brilliant.

“Oh, he had to hurry off to an important meeting, and I thought I would could just find you myself. I’m here for the day only, but I want to have lunch with you and my grandson. Are you available?”  
“Today? Ehhhr.. yes, of course, no problem. Thank you for the invitation. But wouldn’t you rather have lunch with Don alone? I know you don’t see him very often.” She crossed her fingers, and said a silent prayer.  
“Ah, no. I want to get to know the woman he’s been seeing for the past 6 months. To be honest, I would prefer if he stayed here while we went to eat, but I know that control freak grandson of mine would have a coronary before he let that happen, so, lunch for three it is.” She finished with a flurry, and started to open her purse. “Can I smoke in here, darling?”

“I’m afraid not. I can take you to the balcony if you would like.” She was so proud of herself for speaking in complete sentences. 

“Let’s do that!” With that, she linked her hand to Sloan’s elbow and together they walked to the other side of the floor to access the balcony. Sloan just closed the door behind them when her cell phone rang.

“I lost her. I lost my grandmother. She’s was just in my office 15 minutes ago and now she’s nowhere to be found. How is it possible for an 82 year old woman to be this sneaky? Sloan, I swear to God, she’ll be the death of me.” Don’s desperate cry for help would have been funny, had it not for the fact that she could totally see Laura Dane Seymour causing anyone to drop dead. She was a force of nature.

“She’s actually here. With me. We’re on the balcony, because she wanted to smoak.”

“Sweet Jesus, that’s possibly worse than her going missing. Okay, hang on, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Don’s on his way.” Sloan offered, as an explanation. “I think he was worried when he couldn’t find you.”

“That boy always worries about something. But, let me tell you, at least since he’s been with you, he seems much more relaxed, and balanced. The sex must be really good.”

Sloan was pretty sure she never actually heard an 82 year utter that particular sequence of words in her presence before. As a consequence, she had zero idea what would be an appropriate- or inappropriate- response. And neither did Don, apparently.

“Please, for the love of-” he exclaimed, which was a good indication that he heard the vital parts of Laura’s last statement.

“What?” She seemed genuinely confused, then looked at Sloan with palpable dread on her face. “You’re not one of those people who pledged some kind of no-sex before marriage bullshit, are you?”

Sloan opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to figure out if this was actually happening. 90% confident that this wasn’t a hallucination, she finally shook her head.  
“No, no....definitely not.” As a silent ‘what the hell’ ran through her mind, she added, “and the sex is good.”

“Sloan! Please, don’t encourage her.”  
“How am I going to stop myself, when all this time my main goal in life was to discuss our sex life with a member of your family.” Her sarcastic reply was undercut by the smile that was threatening to erupt on her face.  
“With the two of you on the same page, I have no doubt this will be the longest day of my life.” Don stated and looked up to the sky. 

“Don’t be so dramatic, Donnie.” Laura dropped her finished cigarette in the ashtray in front of her. “I’ve talked to Sloan and she’s free for lunch, so I’m going to reserve a table at Bergdorf’s for the three of us. Or, would you rather that only Sloan and I go out?”

He shook his head earnestly. “Nope, table for three is perfect.”

“I thought so.” She smiled again, and the twinkle in her eye showed warmth and happiness.  
This no-nonsense attitude she had made Sloan like her already. Although, her stomach knotted thinking about spending a long lunch with her, but Laura wasn’t hostile, or mean, and that was a good sign. Also, flustered-Don was hilarious. 

“Alright, I need to head uptown to my board meeting. I’ll meet you both at the BG at two.” She walked up to Don and patted his cheek. “Don’t be nervous, darling. It’s just lunch. I’m not the Spanish Inquisition.”

“Says the woman who had 5 CEOs resign over 4 years, because they couldn’t take the pressure,” he offered.

“Bull. They couldn’t take the pressure, because they were men, not because I was particularly difficult. Once I hired a woman as CEO everything worked out, and she’s been leading the company for 26 years without any sign of stopping.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“It was great to meet you, Sloan. I’ll see you later,” she said, then proceeded to toddle back into the office on Don’s arm. 

 

***

 

A few minutes later, Don returned to his office to find Sloan waiting for him. He dropped heavily into his chair, leaned back and let out a sigh.  
“You look like you were in a physical fight. Don’t be a baby, she’s not so bad.”  
He gave her a meaningful and pointed look.  
“You ain’t seen nothing yet. My family - and her in particular- can be exhausting.”  
“Well, that explains a lot about you, bubba.” She was going for levity and he chuckled softly.  
“Smartass.”  
“Smart and spectacular ass, if you don’t mind.”  
“Very true.” His eyes glazed over for a minute.  
“Don, stop thinking about my ass. You need to prep me for this lunch. I can’t sit there when the only thing I know about your grandmother is her name and homestate.”  
“Ah, but I’d much rather think about your spectacular ass.”  
She tilted her head and waited.

“Okay, fine. So, Grandmother was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, her family was pretty well off... She’s been married three times, all of them wealthy, Southern gentleman, and I think she loved at least two of them. My mother is from her second marriage, and she has another daughter from the third one. She is smart and intelligent, can drink anyone under the table, and she’s passionate about everything she does. She’s spunky and sometimes unpredictable, and she’ll curse like sailor in front of anyone, including her priest and any President.” He paused for a beat. “She has been my ally in every argument I ever had with my father, but she’s also the first to kick my ass if I’m being an idiot. And, I’m pretty sure the ABT meeting was just a pretext; the real reason she’s here is because I mentioned you the other time I was visiting and she wanted to meet you.”

Sloan grinned at his description.  
“I’m glad I get to meet her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still freaking out, but this helped.” She stood up. “I’m going to head back to my office to prepare for the show. Am I still on for the B-block with Elliot?”  
“Absolutely.”  
“Great. Let me know when you’re ready to leave for lunch.”  
“Will do.”  
Hearing his confirmation, she headed out of his office, her feminine silhouette accentuated by the expertly cut dress.  
“Stop staring, Don.”  
“Not a chance.”

 

Wednesday, April 22, 2013  
2:55 PM  
BG RESTAURANT

 

Don was suspicious. They’ve been having lunch for close to an hour, and his grandmother was unnaturally reserved. There were no 20-questions directed at Sloan, no tactful interrogation about where their relationship was going, no inquiry about plans to introduce Sloan to the family, and -thankfully- no further mention of their sex life. He was grateful for these small favors from fate, but he also knew there was no way Laura suddenly became a docile, little-old lady in the previous 2,5 hours since he last saw her. Something was coming, he just wasn't sure what. Meanwhile, Sloan seemed to be completely relaxed ever since she and Laura discovered their mutual affection and admiration of all things Carolina Herrera. He watched them deep in conversation, and couldn’t hide the small smile that appeared as a result. Two of his favorite people, in an animated exchange. This is the good stuff. 

Feeling his phone vibrate, he excused himself from the table and walked to the lobby to answer. 

“Well, finally.” Exclaimed Laura back at the table. “I was getting worried that she forgot my request.”  
“I’m sorry?” Sloan was confused.  
“I asked Dorothea, Don’s aunt, to call him while we were here.”  
“Oh?”  
“She talks so much, bless her heart. This gives us at least 25 minutes tête-à-tête, which is what I wanted.”

Sloan contemplated what she heard, then posed the next logical question.  
“Ever thought about running for president?”  
“Yes, in 1975. I was pretty bored and thought it would be a nice way to get out of the daily routine. But then another Georgia native got the Democratic nomination and I found myself a new hobby, my third husband.”  
Sloan wasn’t even surprised. 

“Now, let’s talk.” Laura started. “Contrary to what my grandson believes, I’m not about to interrogate you about when you want to get married and give me great-grandchildren.” Sloan showed a hint a smile, still not sure where this was going exactly. “Do you remember Troy Davis?” Seeing Sloan’s nod, Laura continued.  
“Don was 12 at the time of the murder, he and his parents still lived in Savannah. What happened that day and what followed- it was a big deal for the town. He was little, but he knew more or less what was going on. Years later, I believe he was already at Newsweek, when he ran into an old friend from Savannah, who happened to be working on Davis’ case, trying to get him released. That was around 2002. Don got completely invested and spent the following nine years regularly visiting Georgia, doing everything in his power to seek justice.” 

She looked up to see where Don was. Satisfied that he was still on the phone, Laura went on. “Despite his father’s best efforts- and believe me, I was there to witness most of them- Don’s moral compass is in the right place and he’ll try to do the right thing at any given situation. Matthew, my son-in-law, is an asshole, to be honest. Ex-military, with such high expectations that it’s impossible to meet them. Growing up, poor Donnie could never do anything to gain his father’s approval. No matter what he did, it was never good enough for Matthew. At one point, I stepped in, and Don moved in with me and his grandfather. He lived with us for about 4 years before going off to college.” 

She smiled, perhaps thinking back to those years. “He grew up to be quite the man. But, he can’t help it: he’ll try to meet any and all expectations of those he loves and respects, and I think that have led to a few disastrous relationships before. He’s not a saint, of course. But he can be awfully misguided.”  
Laura focused her piercing blue eyes on Sloan. “I’m telling you this, because the last time he visited me, he talked about you and he didn’t seem like he was trying to overcompensate for anything. He had a gentle confidence and stability - no tension, no bullshit, no anxiety. It was wonderful to see that." 

She calmly leaned back in her chair, and took a sip of her wine. "You’re good for him. So, whatever you do, keep doing it. And try to keep him from returning to old habits." Here, she paused for a beat, probably to make a point. "Meanwhile, if you want to start to work on those great-grandchildren for me, I wouldn’t be opposed. I know I don’t look it, but I’m 82. Y’all have a few more years, but don’t take too long.”

Sloan chuckled softly and tried to process all that Laura said. Retracing in a second all the years she has known Don, his decisions and behavior certainly made more sense in light of what his grandmother just shared.  
“Thank you for telling me all this. I can’t promise anything regarding the great-grandchildren, but I can tell you he’s good for me, too and I have plenty of old habits that I don’t want to return to, either. What we have works for us, so I hope we’ll keep getting better at it.”

“Good. One more thing, do you have any tattoos?”  
“Nope.”  
“Thank God. Just promise me: no matching tattoos for the two of you. He already has two and that’s about all I can bear. I’m young at heart, but even I have my limits.” She rolled her eyes.

Don got so lucky with this woman.  
“No matching tattoos. Got it. Although - and I’m sure you’re aware of this, but if he wants another one for himself, I probably won’t be able to stop him.”  
Laura let out a dramatic sigh. “Don’t I know that!”

Don chose this moment to return, and the two women promptly fell silent as he sat down. He looked back and forth between them, uncertainty etched on his face.

“What did I miss?”  
“The opportunity to get matching tattoos with me.” Sloan offered.  
His eyes flicked again back and forth.  
“I’m not even going to pretend to know what you meant by that.”  
“That’s probably wise, dear,” Laura confirmed. 

***

One day, he’d get it out of Sloan what they talked about while he was on the phone.  
He would share his own stories about what it was like living with his grandparents, and maybe even how he felt growing up with a strict and uncompromising father.  
One day, he may even try to convince her to get a tattoo -matching or otherwise (she wouldn’t budge - a promise is a promise.)  
One day, years later, he would get his third one: a small, fine line anchor, placed on the outer left side of his ribs. He would get it the day after they buy their first apartment together.


End file.
